Apple's Mini DisplayPort connector will be part of the official DisplayPort 1. …

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The Video Electronic Standards Association, responsible for the DisplayPort standard used by Apple's current-generation notebooks, has announced that Apple's Mini DisplayPort will become part of an improved DisplayPort standard.

According to a report by Register Hardware, VESA has said that Mini DisplayPort will become part of the updated DisplayPort 1.2 specification expected to be ready this summer. The updated standard is also set to include expanded video signal bandwidth, allowing monitor resolutions as high as 3840x2160. The bandwidth would also allow rapid switching between two 1920x1080 pixel images for a full HD stereoscopic effect, or allow multiple monitors of lower resolution to be connected to just one port. VESA also plans to expand the auxiliary data channel to handle USB signals, which could eliminate the need for the USB cable in Apple's LED Cinema Display.

The Register notes that it is not known whether the Mini DisplayPort will be capable of supporting all the features of the 1.2 standard. A cursory examination of the pin-outs of both plugs shows that Mini DisplayPort can carry all the necessary signals, but the higher data rates might be more than the smaller port can safely handle.

The addition of Mini DisplayPort to the official standard, however, should allay fears that it would become another Apple-only technology, and should ensure wider adoption among other computer and monitor vendors.